The quest for youth

 

With Alex Donald

Did you ever wonder why we age differently? We can only attribute around 30 percent to genetics. Environment is a big player and what we do to care for our skin also influences whether we age gracefully or at full speed.

The main ageing factors happening to our skins are UV ageing, oxidation, inflammation, glycation and of course collagen breakdown. Sounds overwhelming! However, if we can understand what’s happening to our skin then we can find solutions to help it.

The best news is we can make a difference. With skin treatments in the clinic we can stimulate new collagen growth, we can energize your skin, hydrate and feed your skin the vitamins it needs to look radiant.

What else can you do? Try a good diet and intake of water, however you need to know because skin is our biggest organ it gets what is left behind. While other more important organs take up the vitamins and water first, your skin will get 5 percent of the water you drink.

You need good products. Research shows us our skin needs different support at different times. During the day we need to protect it and at night we need to go into repair mode. Use active products proven to work deep in your skin to slow down the effects of ageing. Skin needs a good moisturiser. Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in our skins – it hydrates and protects. At night using vitamin A to speed up cell turnover and vitamin C to stimulate collagen synthesis, repair pigmentation and strengthen capillaries is a great combination for repair.

It’s important to be informed and know what you’re using on your skin. Go to a skin therapist who is registered with the beauty therapy association. This gives you peace of mind that they use active products and partake in regular training.

Everyone has different skin concerns and needs. Work with your skin therapist to develop a plan that best suits what you want to achieve with what works with your routine and budget. Get the best out of your skin. A healthy skin always looks youthful and radiant!

n Alex Donald is owner of Pure Essence Face & Body Clinic and has worked in the beauty industry for 20 years.

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